MASON AND LEFPOY. 247 



Of the Quails and Partridges about seven species are found in 

 the plains, two of which are migrants, notably the common Grey 

 Quail. They are found principally in the more Northern parts of 

 India, but are generally distributed. The Kyah is a swamp haunt- 

 ing spscies. The other species are from the hills, some being fourd 

 at very high altitudes, and six are from Burma and the Malayan 

 region. 



" Partridges and Quails (see Hume and Marshall) are kept by 

 natives in Northern India for fighting purposes. They are con- 

 fined in small cages and carefully trained for the purpose." (Watt). 

 Patting aside all other considerations from their feeding habits alone 

 this group is probably beneficial in spite of the fact that some dam- 

 age is done to grain crops. 



HEMIPODII. 



Turnix. The food of all species consists principally of smal 

 seeds ; small insects and tips of grass and leaves are also eatenl 

 F. I. IV, 120. 



1382. Turnix pugnax. Bustard Quail. It feeds on grain 

 of various kinds, but also very much on small insects, larvae of 

 grasshoppers and the like. Jerd. B. I., 3, 596. 



Small millets, grass-seeds, ants, white and black, and other 

 small grains and insects constitute its food (taigoor). Grass-seed 

 and the tips of tender blades of grass are probably its chief food ; 

 bub it also eats a variety of tiny seeds, beetles and other insects. 

 It seems to be very little of a grain eater (plumbipes}. H. M. G. 

 B. II, 171, 178. 



1383.- Turnix dussumieri. Little Button Quail. " Two or three, 

 shot during the cold season had eaten only grass seeds while 

 two shot in my garden in Etawah had fed almost exclusively on 

 termites." Captain E. A. Butler writes of a young bird, " In 

 confinement it lived almost exclusively on white ants until ful 

 grown, after which it fed upon seed/' H. M. G. B., II, 194, 97. 



